A former employee of the Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation in Gaffney has been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of wire fraud for an alleged scheme that cost Freightliner an estimated $1.5 million.

According to a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office in Columbia, Earl Steven Henderson, 55, of Campobello, allegedly sought kickbacks from vendors of Freightliner in exchange for excessive company purchase orders, such as by purchasing more items than Freightliner needed or paying more than regular rates.

A spokeswoman for Daimler Trucks in Portland, Ore., which is the headquarters for Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, confirmed in an e-mailed response that Henderson worked for the company from June 1995 through November 2007 "when his employment relationship with the company was terminated."

The spokeswoman, Amy Sills, said the company could not offer any additional comment at this time.

Assistant U.S. Attorney W. Walter Wilkens, who is prosecuting the case, said the indictment alleges the actions occurred between 2004 and the end of 2007. Henderson was employed as a purchasing agent for the company at the time.

Wilkens said the investigation is ongoing.

An arraignment for Henderson has not yet been scheduled but likely will occur within the next few weeks.